"Champions are built in the summer"

Posted

While many students are taking a break and getting in some serious relaxation this summer, the RD Cheer Team is busy preparing for a successful fall season.  Crowned South Dakota state champions in the Stunting/Non-Tumbling division in 2015, the Pheasants are hungry to regain their state title, and there is work to be done.  The Pheasants are no strangers to hard work and success winning three state titles in the past seven years in 2011, 2012, and 2015. 

Building a championship program is no small task, and it’s been a whirlwind of activity since tryouts last May when this year’s squad was selected for 2017-18.

Over 40 student-athletes auditioned to be an RD Pheasant Cheer Team member on May 13th, and not everyone who tried out was selected.   According to head coach Michelle Schmitt, “We had over 40 girls attend competition and sideline tryouts this year. While that's a great number, I can tell you it is very difficult to turn girls away because I only have so many spots that I can fill.”  The South Dakota High School Activities Association limits competition team size to twelve in the Small Division in Class A for competitive cheer.

According to the South Dakota High School Activities Association, Competitive Cheer is an SDHSAA-recognized sport and must follow the SDHSAA regulations as it pertains to competitor eligibility, season length, number of contests, coaches and judges qualifications, competition guidelines, and out of season rules.   Sideline Cheer is not an SDHSAA-recognized sport, and is considered a support activity for a competitive sport sponsored by the SDHSAA. The competitive cheer coach may coach/advise a sideline cheer squad/team; however, the squad/team may NOT compete at any level against any SDHSAA competitive cheer team. 

“Twelve girls on the mat at a time for the Small Division puts my job as a coach to select the twelve that will give us the best chance of winning a state championship. However, I also know that winning a state championship is not the most important thing in high school athletics,” commented Schmitt.  “We want our student athletes to be well-rounded and successful, so we need to be able to give them the tools to be as successful as possible. I am very fortunate this year to have four alternates on my team. Having them will give us a well-rounded team and allow our team to have some flexibility in case of injuries or other circumstances beyond our kids’ control” explained Schmitt.

Criteria for tryouts includes a dance, cheer, and jumps for sideline cheer, and also includes those elements plus stunting and tumbling for competition cheer.  “We do a full day’s learning and do a tryout at the end of that.  In addition, the girls are judged throughout the day on their attitude and willingness to learn and the ability to improve as well,” added Schmitt.

Another major difference between sideline and competition cheer is that sideline teams are limited to six members. “We are very fortunate enough and are able to have a full football squad a boys’ and girls’ basketball squad, and a wrestling squad for 2017-18. In the past we've had one football squad and one wrestling squad. So, to be able to fill three full winter squads has been really amazing. While it makes the winter season schedule very full, I am so thankful that we have three full squads to support our Pheasant athletes and to spread school spirit in our community.”

Once selected to the team, the RD Cheer Team is committed to typical weekday agility/weightlifting sessions, but also camps and skill-building activities as well as community service opportunities, and appearances.  Head coach Michelle Schmitt has implemented a full summer schedule for her student-athletes to get them prepared for fall competition.  In June 12-13th, the RD Cheer Team attended a Universal Cheerleaders Association camp in Platte, SD with the focus on sideline skills on the 12th, and a stunt camp on the 13th.   

“The UCA Camp was a great experience for our girls to see other cheerleaders in the off-season and in a different setting than what we normally do. We have a lot of new sideline members this year, so it's great to have those girls go to camp to learn expectations and to have an idea of what to expect with the upcoming season,” stated Schmitt. 

In addition to learning new techniques and skills, camp is full of fun games that also allow the girls to do a little bit of competing as well.  On the first day of the UCA camp, the RD Cheer Team earned a superior rating, and team members Elaina Schmitt and Lexi Dykstra excelled in the jump off competition with Schmitt making it through the preliminary round, and Dykstra advancing to the finals.

“The jump competition allowed some of our girls to have their jumps judged by the experts in the field and to get tips on improving their jumps.  Lexi Dykstra has worked super hard on her jumps since becoming a member of the cheer team, and I am amazed at her improvement. She's a very hard worker and is very committed to the sport. Her commitment and her hard work paid off when she placed in the top four of 100 kids at camp this year,” added Schmitt.

June 24th saw the RD Cheer Team in Aberdeen perfecting their tumbling skills at the Next Generation Performance Center.  The team was led through an intensive core-strengthening regimen, and then instructed on tumbling skills such as forward rolls, cartwheels, handsprings, and balance drills.  Team members who attended the training included: Emma Kopplin, Elaina Schmitt, Hannah Bierman, Madison Nuttall, Kyleigh O’Daniel, Kynslee Gatzke, Jazzilyn Risetter, Sarah Kastner, Matty Jo Risetter, and Lexi Dykstra.

More than just pom poms and smiles, the RD Cheer Team also represented the communities of Redfield and Doland by lending a helping hand as volunteers and ambassadors.  On June 23rd, the cheerleaders led a youth cheerleading clinic for grades K-8 at the annual Relay For Life of Spink County, and served as tour leaders and meal servers at Redfield High School during the Redfield All-School Reunion on June 30th.

Coach Schmitt, now a veteran with the Pheasant program since 2013, develops the entire student-athlete by providing guidance and motivation on the team’s RD Pheasant Cheer Faceook page with constant communication about event and practice details, registration forms and team information, and also posts motivational Proactive Coaching snippets and Cheerobics infographics and videos to keep her team in top physical and mental form.  “There are several local cheerleading camps that our team could attend, and I try to do my best to post all of those options on Facebook so the girls have all of the tools at their disposal,” added Schmitt.

As the competitive cheer season draws nearer, the month of July ramps up the intensity with an intensive choreography camp in Brookings on July 13-14th.   The team will converge on the campus of South Dakota State University to learn new skills and techniques that will be used during the upcoming competitive cheer season.

“Choreography Camp is the kick-off to the beginning of our season,” stated Coach Schmitt.  “It is a very intense full day of learning and working through new skills. We learn all the parts to our routine from the beginning stages all the way to the skills that we want to be able to master by state competition,” added Schmitt.  “We have a progression built into a routine where we start off with less difficult skills and work hard on progressing up to more difficult skills to perform the best routine possible by the state competition,” stated Schmitt. 

The competitive cheer squad for 2017-18 has twelve members including: Kelsey Anderson, Kara DeYoung, Aleigha DeYoung, Claire Gilette, Lexi Dykstra, Jazilynn Risetter, Hannah Owens, Hannah Bierman, Emma Kopplin, Elaina Schmitt, Kynslee Gatzke, Kyleigh O’Daniel.  Team alternates include:  Kylie Risetter, Maddie Nuttall, Sarah Kastner, and LuAnn Miner.

Members of the football sideline squad include: Hannah Owens, Kelsey Anderson, Kara DeYoung, Lexi Dykstra, Kyleigh O’Daniel, Elaina Schmitt.  Alternates are: Emma Kopplin and Geneva Talcott.

Members of the girls’ basketball sideline squad include:  Kylie Risetter, Hannah Schultz, Shaina Lambert, Elizabeth Shottenkirk, Maisie Fortin, and Sara Sattler.

Members of the boys’ basketball sideline squad include: Aleigha DeYoung, Claire Gillette, Jazilynn Risetter, Lexi Dykstra, Chloe Fast, and Abree Taylor.

Members of the wrestling sideline squad include: Madison Nuttall, Hannah Komraus, Matty Jo Risetter, Lydia Wagner, Chloe Fast, and Abree Taylor.

Looking back, Coach Schmitt discussed the various changes that have transpired in recent years.  “Throughout my time as a coach I've seen a lot of division changes.  At first there were three classes including B, A, and AA. Inside each of those classes there were divisions of Small Non-Tumbling Stunting, Small Tumbling and Stunting, and Large Non-Tumbling Stunting and Large Tumbling and stunting,” explained Schmitt.  “In 2015 we won the non-tumbling division. 2016 saw a major focus on tumbling because the non-tumbling division was discontinued. The divisions now are small or large with tumbling and stunting in Class A and AA.  Consequently, we have many more teams to compete against to win a state division championship,” stated Schmitt. 

Coach Schmitt reflected on the 2016 season as a rebuilding year.  “2016 was a learning year as we had to learn how to tumble from absolute basics. The majority of my team had absolutely zero tumbling experience, so we started from scratch,” added Schmitt.

“We've been very lucky to have different area resources that we've been able to tap into. We worked really hard in the off-season of 2016 and spent most of our focus on the tumbling portion of it” stated Schmitt.

Looking ahead, Coach Schmitt is proud of the time, commitment and effort that her team members have put in to get ready for fall.  “In the pre-season for 2017 we continue to build on those tumbling skills and are gaining more difficulty and experience to be able to compete at the tumbling level.  For athletes in our area it's very difficult, because there is not a gymnastics program at our local high school. The nearest gyms are in Miller. Aberdeen, and Watertown to be able to learn those skills,” added Schmitt.

“The team has done a lot of work in the off-season and on their own to be ready for the upcoming seasons, and I'm very proud of their commitment,” stated Schmitt.

The RD Cheer Team will kick off their competitive season on August 26th at Aberdeen Central High School.